Augusto Riboty was one of three s built for the Italian: [[Regia Marina]] (Royal Italian Navy) during World War I.
The ships were designed as scout cruisers (esploratori), essentially enlarged versions of contemporary destroyers.[1] They had an overall length of 103.75m (340.39feet), a beam of 9.74m (31.96feet) and a mean draft of 3.3m (10.8feet).[2] They displaced 1784t at standard load, and 2040t at deep load. Their complement was 8 officers and 161 enlisted men.[3]
The Mirabellos were powered by two Parsons geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft using steam supplied by four Yarrow boilers. The turbines were rated at 44000shp for a speed of 35kn and Augusto Riboty reached a speed of from during her sea trials.[2] The ships carried enough fuel oil to give them a range of 2300nmi at a speed of .[3]
Augusto Ribotys main battery consisted of a single Cannone da /40 A Modello 1891 gun forward of the superstructure. The gun was backed up by seven Cannone da /35 S Modello 1914 guns in single mounts protected by gun shields, one aft the superstructure and the remaining guns positioned on the broadside amidships.[4] Anti-aircraft (AA) defense for the Mirabello-class ships was provided by a pair of Cannone da /40 Modello 1916 AA guns in single mounts.[2] They were equipped with four 450mm torpedo tubes in two twin mounts, one on each broadside.[4] Augusto Riboty could carry 120 mines, although her sisters could only handle 100.[2]
The gun proved to be too heavy for the ships and its rate of fire was too slow so it was replaced when the ships were rearmed with eight Cannone da 102/45 S, A Modello 1917 guns arranged with single guns fore and aft of the superstructure and the other on the broadside. The 76 mm guns were replaced by a pair of Cannone da /39 AA guns in single mounts in 1920–1922.[2]
. Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two. Naval Institute Press. Annapolis, Maryland. 2005. Third Revised. 1-59114-119-2. Jürgen Rohwer.
. Destroyers of World War 2: An International Encyclopedia . 1988. Naval Institute Press. Annapolis, Maryland. 1-85409-521-8 . Michael J. Whitley.